I finally got to use the art I commissioned from @fletchingbrilliant a year ago in my newest fic! I love the boys so much and they turned out so perfect!! I love how soft they are and it turned out just how I wanted😭Definitely go check them out!
Look, I know I'm a day behind 😭 but here's my Monday contribution
RadioHuskWeek Prompt: Communication
Reverse Trope Prompt: Too Much Communication
850words
Alastor had a habit of always saying what was on his mind.
Good. Bad. Disturbing. It didn’t matter. The man would talk until your ears fell off.
As it was, the bar cat had perfected the art of half-listening to Alastor as he rambled on. Most of the time, Husk didn’t want to know what the overlord had spent his days doing, so tuning in and out had become a necessity.
Husk didn’t mind. If Alastor was talking, it meant he was staying out of trouble. It was usually only when the deer fell silent that you had to worry for your safety.
And so, when Alastor fell silent one night while sitting at the hotel bar, every alarm bell the cat possessed went off. Husk mentally went through the story Alastor had been telling, searching for the cause of his sudden silence, but he came up empty.
“Husker?”
It took everything in him not to shudder, but Alastor’s tone wasn’t angry. It was… Frustrated? Uncertain?
“Yeah, Boss?” Husk cocked his head, studying the way Alastor was swirling the dregs of his whisky, staring into the glass like it held all the answers in the universe.
The deer didn’t say anything for a long moment, which just made Husk more and more tense. Just when the feline thought he would explode, Alastor looked up at him.
“Would you… like to have a nightcap with me?”
Husk visibly sighed with relief. Not at all what he had been expecting, though he had been wondering if/when Alastor would ask. “Yeah, Al, sure. Just let me close up quick.”
Looking much more at ease himself, Alastor nodded, throwing back the last of his drink and sliding it over.
Husk took it, washing and drying it quickly, before turning off the lights and locking up the good liquor. He came around the bar and stood beside Alastor as the deer got up from his barstool and straightened his jacket.
It had always been hard for Alastor to ask for things, which is why they had come up with the code in the first place. Granted, it had been over seven years since they had last done this, but Husk was surprised at Alastor’s hesitancy.
Then again, if he had demanded Husk come up with him, or acted like no time had passed, Husk would have refused outright. It was only because the deer had asked nicely, not assuming he already knew the answer, that the bar-cat accepted.
The walk was long, but it passed in seconds. Alastor opened his door for Husk, letting the cat enter first.
As always, Husk went straight to the bathroom to get ready. Opening the medicine cabinet, he found Alastor had put his things right where they’d always been.
Smiling to himself, Husk went through his routine. Though he was always more thorough on these nights, he still came out in only a few minutes.
Alastor, already changed, was sitting on the bed, fiddling with the brush. He looked up as Husk came over, clearly waiting for him to back out.
But he didn’t. The bar-cat just crawled onto the bed, stole a pillow, and laid down. Spreading his wings out, Husk got comfy and gave a content sigh.
Alastor didn’t move for a long moment.
Husk was just about to turn and raise an eyebrow at the deer when he finally felt the bed shift.
Cautiously, Alastor shifted around, gently maneuvering Husk’s wing. Finally, he set to work brushing the feathers.
Husk started purring immediately.
Despite hating everything about his sinner form, the cat couldn’t deny how good it felt to have Alastor’s claws scritching through his feathers.
Between brushing, preening, and oiling, the whole process took over an hour. Both of them were silent throughout, leaving the soft music coming from the radio on the nightstand and the crackling of the fire in the hearth to fill the room. And the purring and radio static, of course.
When Alastor finally set the brush and oil down, Husk rolled onto his side. While he rearranged the pillow, Alastor came over to lay in front of him, facing away, just as he always did.
Unlike usual, Alastor left a good foot of space between them. Grunting with annoyance, Husk wrapped his arm around the deer’s middle and pulled him close. Alastor squeaked in surprise but didn’t pull away, even when Husk started licking his ears.
Alastor would never admit it, but this was what he really wanted. To be cuddled and groomed and safe. And if Alastor needed to preen Husk’s wings before he allowed himself that comfort, that was fine by Husk.
After a few minutes, Alastor’s voice carried through the dark room, “Husker?”
Husk stopped grooming his ears to nuzzle between his antlers. “Yeah, Al?”
Sounding like he was already asleep, “I missed this.”
I missed you
Husk almost couldn’t believe his ears. His old, battered heart tripped over itself as he buried his face in Alastor’s hair.
Eventually, he managed to mumble, “I missed you too, Bambi.”
Alastor gave a happy hum and promptly fell asleep.
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